Missile launcher air eject system-power plant and control system



June 27, 1961 v M. SIEGEL ETAL 2,989,899

MISSILE LAUNCHER AIR EJECT SYSTEM-POWER PLANT AND CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Feb. 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Moe Sie gel BY Allan Honigmcm ATTORAEY June 27, 1961 M. SIEGEL ErAL 2,989,899

MISSILE LAUNCHER AIR EJECT SYSTEM-POWER PLANT AND CONTROL SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 17, 1960 INVENTOR. Mofie Siegel BY Allan Honigman MuMw ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,989,899 MISSILE LAUNCHER AIR EJECT SYSTEM- POWER PLANT AND CONTROL SYSTEM Moses Siegel and Allan Honigman, Philadelphia, Pa., as-

signors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Feb. '17, 1960, Ser. No. 9,400 4- Claims. (Cl. 89-1.7) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Govermnent of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to launching devices and particularly to such devices for catapulting a missile from a floating or submerged vessel.

In the known arrangements for launching missiles, it is common to use a ramp along which a missile carrying carriage is moved under force applied from an engine by means of reeved cables or a lateral arm extending from the engines piston in a slotted cylinder.

In launching certain missiles from ship decks or submerged submarines it is necessary, for instance for better guidance of the missile, that they be released from launching tubes. Furthermore, it is quite essential that the launching tube be isolated as a protection against the missiles blast, the effect of a dud, and to avoid transmitting motion of the vessel to the tube.

The use of the devices of the type adverted to, which are adapted for firing missiles from a launching tube, complicates the launching device, for instance, disposing 'reeved cables into a launch tube; it imposes large penalties in added weight and space occupied if more than one such launcher is installed and the vessel may not be large enough to be provided with a missle handling device for loading a single launcher. The relative inability of some craft, such as a submarine, to make use of such devices and suffer the penalties is readily appreciated when the burden of a load of missiles, each of which is thirty feet long, fifty-four inches in diameter and twenty-nine thousand pounds in weight, is visualized.

The invention proposes a launcher as a single capacity unit designed to permit installation of a number of launchers on a submarine under the least penalty of Weight and space. Each launcher comprises a firing tube, a power plant, and a control system. The firing tube is mounted vertically and loaded at a short site to avoid the need of missile handling equipment aboard the submarine; whereas, the power plant is a high pressure gas "(compressed air) tank or accumulator, likewise filled at the loading site to avoid the need for compressors, piping etc. The control system includes the valves, conduits, and electrical apparatus necessary to control firing the missile.

' Broadly, in the launcher the missile is ejected from the firing tube under the force of the gas released by the control' system from the high pressure accumulator. A launch valve throttles the pressure to the limit desired, which is held closed under accumulator pressure and that of a trapped hydraulic fiuid. Accumulator pressure also opens the launch valve upon actuation of a solenoid operated blocking valve and an explosive valve which is opened by the blocking valve. Pressure of the trapped hydraulic fluid, after accumulator pressure has decayed sufficiently, cuts off the launch valve. This cut-oil limits water spout created by escaping accumulator fluid under water thereby permitting the submerged firingtube to fill with water and balance the missile weight in the unfired launchers; as a result, the submarine can dive without waiting for leak-off from the accumulator and its resistance is reduced during such leak-cit. Provision is 2,989,899 Patented June 27, 1 961 P ice celeration build-up and maximum acceleration determined tor the missile by its structural limitation.

With the above in mind it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved missile launcher which obviates the objections noted above and is comparatively compact and light enabling its use on floating or submerged vessels in batteries.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for ejecting missiles under the expansive force of a compressed gas in which the acceleration history may be controlled with regard to rate and maximum build-up, as permitted by the missile structure, and as needed for a desired end speed.

It is another object of this invention to provide an airejection launcher having a new and improved control system with fail-safe provision and including a launch valve with automatic cut-otf with assured full seating of the valve member.

The accompanying drawings show by way of example a construction of the object of this invention.

FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a submarine showing one manner of disposing missile firing tubes therein;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a schematic showing of the new and improved missile launcher with some parts in section;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the launch valve shown in FIGURE 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the missile launcher is shown as it may be installed in batteries in the structure 10 of a naval vessel such as a submarine.

Generally, each launcher, FIG. 3, includes a firing tube 12 disposed in an outer tube 13, and a compressed air reservoir or accumulator 14 communicatively connected to the firing tube through a launching valve16 which is controlled by a pair of explosive valves, 18 and 18', which in turn are actuated by an electrically controlled blocking valve 19.

The outer tube 13 is. sunk into the hull of the water craft and disposed in substantially a vertical position with its upper end terminating at the deck or top of the hull of the craft; it is secured to the crafts structure by welds or some other well known means (not shown).

The inner or firing tube 12 is concentrically mounted within the outer tube 13 by rings 15 made of some resilient metal or other suitable material so as to isolate it from shock. The firing tube 12 is closed at its lower end and may be provided with some means (not shown) by which it may be inclined slightly from a vertical direction. Thermissi-le 20 to be catapulted rests on a ring 22 or other support means secured within the firing tube 12 at a point up the tube which permits a clearance space 24 between the bottoms of the missile and the firing tube into which the ejecting fluid may accumulate and expand. It has been found that the presence of the clearance space 24 provides a more uniform application of ejection power to the missile than would otherwise be obtained, since expansion of air already in a launch tube, upon firing of the launcher, contributes a major efiect on launcher output as against the air pressure in the accumulator and on its way into the launch tube. The firing tube 12 closely fits the missile 20 and is preferably lubed with molybdenum disulphide or some other suitable lubricant to reduce the possibility of any spurious cause occurring which would afiect the launching characteristics.

The accumulator 14 is spherically shaped to achieve-"a minimum mass to volume ratio with a minimum stress; these characteristics being desired and in fact mandatory, especially so in submarine installations. The accumulator is provided as a source of compressed fluid being filled through an inflating valve of some common construction (not shown) with compressed air under a pressure above the maximum required in the firing tube; its capacity is suflicient to supply enough air to discharge the missile without allowing the pressure to fall below a desired minimum. Furthermore, it is preferred not to draw the last bit of air from the accumulator to make a launch, since to be able to do so would require very large piping and valves; consequently, an optimum of accumulator to piping size would not be achievable. By adjustment of accumulator pressures and volume, selecting of orifices and design flow area contour of launching valve element 89, setting of dome pressures and fluid volume, the system can achieve all desired launching velocities, acceleration histories, end pressures, as required for launching missiles at various depths below water surface. This design specifically achieves above requirements in a consistent and reliable manner. Air accumulator volume of approximately 28 to 40 cubic feet with air at various pressures up to 4000 p.s.i. is satisfactory.

A conduit 26 communicatively connects the accumulator 14 to the inlet port 28 (FIG. 4) of the launch valve 16; Whereas, a conduit 30 connects the outlet 32 of the launcher valve with firing tube 12 for the passage of launching fluid from the accumulator to the firing tube. The internal diameters of the conduits 26 and 30 and ports 28 and 32 are equal; for the conditions set out, nine inches is required. It is preferred that the conduit 30 enters the firing tube through the side wall rather than the bottom in order to disrupt unidirectional flow and develop a more even application of pressure to the missilc.

A second conduit 33 from accumulator 14 is connected to explosive valves 18 and 18' which are connected to blocking valve 19 by a conduit 31, and the blocking valve is connected to a port 36 in launch valve 16 by a conduit 34 for the admission of accumulator pressure to the launch valve for the purpose of opening it.

The explosive valves 18 and 18' are shown formed in a single body 38 each of which has a valve bore 40 divided into axially aligned chambers 41 and '42 by a frangible partition 43. Each chamber 41 is sealed by a threaded plug 44 and both chambers are connected to each other by a passage 45 which in turn is connected to accumulator 14 by conduit 33. Each chamber 42 is provided with a piston 46 and an explosive charge 47 and both are connected to blocking valve 19 by a passage 48 and conduit 31. Destruction of either or both of the partitions in valves 18 and 18' communicatively connects conduit 33 with conduit 31, since they are parallely connected and either can carry the required amount of air needed for making a launch.

Blocking valve 19 is solenoid actuated and has a valve body 48 provided with a cavity 49 to which conduit 61 is connected and a conical outlet 50 to which conduit 34 to the launch valve is connected. Outlet 50 is normally closed by a piston member 51 which is designed to be opened with energization of solenoid coil 52 which in turn takes place with closing of switch 53 in a 110 V. AC. line from a source of electrical energy not shown. Electrical lines 54 are connected across solenoid coil 52 to the electrical explosive element in valves 18 and 18' and are provided with a switch 55 which is closed with opening of piston 51 in the blockingvalve.

The launch valve 16 (FIG. 4) includes a casing 56, to which conduits 26; 30 and 34 are secured by means such as bolts 58 shown. A central bore 60 is provided in casing 56 in which a reciprocable member 60 is fitted. At its upper end the casing 56 is capped with a dome-like reservoir 62 filled with hydraulic fluid 64 under pressure and which has access to bore 60 through orifice 66 formed in a removable plate 68 in the bottom ofdome 62. The pressure of fluid 64 exerts a force on reciprocable mem- 4 ber 60 to help keep the launch valve closed before launching time and to cut-01f escape of accumulator fluid after launching. Since the hydraulic fluid passage is regulated by the orifice 66, the operation of the launch valve may be controlled by varying the orifice size. For the conditions set out hereinbefore a hydraulic fluid pressure of 125 sq. in. and an orifice of about 0.75 inch in diameter has been found to be satisfactory.

The peripheral wall defining the bore 60 is counter bored inwardly from the ends to form a pair of chambers 69 and '70 and annular packing wells 71 and 72 separated by an annular partition 73. The wells 71 and 72 are filled with suitable packing 74 and held in place by rings 75 secured by bolt 76.

Reciprocable member 60 carries a sleeve 77 secured to its upper end by bolts 78 and which extends axially a portion of the length down the reciprocable member 60 to provide an upper piston, larger in diameter and fitted to reciprocate in upper chamber 69. A ring 79 is secured to the end of sleeve 77 to prevent its abutting plate 68 and closing orifice 66. The lower end 80 of sleeve 77 at no time abuts packing ring 75 and forms therebetween a chamber 63 having the port 36 for the admission of accumulator fluid by way of blocking valve 19 which will move reciprocable member 60 upward.

The lower end of reciprocable member 60 has a bore 81 and counter bore 82. A disk 83 is threaded into bore 81 and a link 84, T-shaped in cross-section, is supported under its head 85 in counter bore 82 by a ring 86 threaded into it. The head 85 of T-link 84 loosely fits counter bore 82 and is loosely connected against full rotation to disk 83 by pins 87 secured thereto and extending into oversize apertures 88 in the top of head 85. This construction permits a limited amount of wobbling movement of the T-link 84 relative to the reciprocable member 60. The lower end of T-link 84 extends beyond the end of reciprocable member 68 and a piston 89 is threadedly secured to it which has a larger diameter than reciprocable member 60 but quite smaller than that of sleeve 77. The outer end portion 90 of piston 89 is reduced to snugly enter outlet 32 and has a shank with a conical end surface 91 adapted to seat on a conical surface 92 of sleeve 93 containing outlet 32 and threaded into casing 56. The ability of T-link 84 to wobble and the mating conical surfaces on piston 89 and sleeve 93 assures full seating of piston 89.

Parallel grooves 94 in the outer surface of end portion 96 of piston 89 provides limited fluid access from chamber 70 through outlet 32 with partial unseating of piston 89. Accumulator pressure from conduit 26 in chamber 70 and hydraulic fluid pressure 011 the upper end of reciprd cable member 60 hold piston 89 seated. Unseating of piston 89 is obtained by admitting accumulator pressure through conduit 34 to chamber 69. Obviously, the design of the launch valve is such that the total pressure as determined by area and unit pressure is greater for opening than holding the piston 89 closed.

In the operation, FIG. 3, the switch 53 is closed thereby energizing solenoid coil 52 which raises blocking valve piston 51. This movement of piston 51 closes switch55 setting oif the explosive charges in valves 18 and 18'. Partitions 43 are removed thereby and accumulator pressure flows into chamber 69 of launch valve 16. This raises reciprocable member 60, FIG. 4, forcing the hydraulic fluid back into the dome 62 and unseats piston '89 which permits accumulator pressure to flow from conduit 30 into the missile firing tube. Eventually the decay of pressure in the accumulator and the build up of pressure in dome 62 causes the reciprocable member to move downward and shut off the launch valve.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in the light of theabove teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. One

such modification could include the incorporation of an air orifice in line 34 by which accumulator air is admitted to the launching valve for opening it. An air orifice so placed will effect additional control of the launch valve opening rate in the event of failure of one of the explosive valves to operate and the closing rate for achieving launch valve cut off. Its construction could be similar to that of orifice 66.

What is claimed is:

1. A single capacity launcher for use in batteries on a submerged vessel for ejecting a missile about equal in height to that of said vessels in a substantially vertical trajectory comprising an outer tube substantially vertically secured in said vessel with its upper end terminating at the top of said vessel; a firing tube concentrically disposed in said outer tube; resilient means shock mounting said firing tube from said outer tube; a spherical accumulator having the capacity to contain gas at a relatively high pressure that is needed to eject one missile; a launch valve for throttling said high pressure to a substantially low pressure including a valve casing with a bore and first and second counterbores at the ends thereof, said casing having an inlet and outlet to said first counterbore, conduit means communicatively connecting said accumulator to said firing tube through said launch valve inlet and outlet, the diameters of said inlet, outlet and conduit means being substantially equal, a reciprocable member mounted in said bore for movement between first and second positions, a first piston articulately connected to said reciprocable member adapted to close said outlet when said reciprocable member is in said first position, said first piston having axial grooves to permit limited access to said outlet with partial unseating of said first piston, a second piston of larger diameter than said first piston secured to said reciprocable member and disposed in said second counterbore dividing it into a hydraulic fiuid chamber and a gas pressure chamber, a tank containing hydraulic fluid under pressure connected to said hydraulic fluid chamber by a restricted passage, said valve casing having an inlet to said gas pressure chamber; a second conduit connecting said latter inlet to said accumulator; a blocking valve and an explosive valve in said second conduit normally preventing passage of gas therethrough; said blocking valve being adapted to actuate said explosive valve; and means for actuating said blocking valve.

2. A single capacity missile launcher for use on a submerged vessel in multiple units for ejecting a missile that is substantially equal to said vessels height in a substantially vertical trajectory comprising a tube for firing a missile therefrom, a spherical accumulator having a gas under substantially high pressure, a launching valve for throttling said high pressure to a substantially low pressure, a first conduit communicatively connecting said eecumulator to said tube through said launch valve, a reciprocable member in said launch valve adapted for movement between open and closed positions and having first and second pistons, said first piston adapted to prevent passage of gas to said tube from said first conduit under pressure of said gas when said member is in said closed position, a second conduit connecting said accumulator to said lunch valve for application of pressure to said second piston and movement of said member to said open position, a blocking valve and an explosive valve in said second conduit normally preventing passage of gas therethrough, said blocking valve being adapted to actuate said explosive valve, a tank connected by a passage to said launch valve and having a hydraulic fluid under sulficient pressure to urge said reciprocable member to a closed position with decay of accumulator pressure following a launching of a missile from said tube, and wherein said substantially high pressure is about 4,000 psi and said low pressure about psi, removable means in said passage between said tank and said launch valve for regulating the rate of flow of hydraulic fluid therebetween, means for actuating said blocking valve including a reciprocable piston in said blocking valve including a reciprocable piston in said blocking valve normally preventing passage of fluid therethrough, a solenoid coil connected to said blocking valve piston for movement thereof to an open position, a switch, electrical lines from a source of electrical power connected to said coil through said switch, said explosive valve having an electrical explosive element, a second switch normally open connected to said blocking valve piston to be closed with movement thereof to an open position, and a second electrical line connecting said coil through said second switch to said electrical element in said explosive valve.

3. The launcher of claim 2 including a link connecting said first piston to said reciprocable member.

4. The launcher of claim 3 including an outer casing adapted to be secured to the structure of said vessel, said tube being disposed in said casing, and resilient means shock mounting said tube to said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 11,131,761 Wheaton Mar. 16, 1915 2,318,437 Vickers May 4, 1943 2,581,758 Galliano et al. Jan. 8, 1952 2,717,042 Grant et al. Sept. 6, 1955 2,783,020 Kleczek Feb. 26, 1957 OTHER REFERENCES Missiles and Rockets, January 1957, News and Trends, pages 18 and 19.

Aviation Week, April 21, 1958, page 31. 

